The present invention relates to using extended diagnostics, and more particularly, to using overlay control for extended diagnostics for tape storage devices.
Many tape storage devices, such as an IBM® 3592/TS1140 storage tape drive, contain an internal data log for mapping measurable characteristics of the tape drive while in operation. This data log is often stored in buffer memory for retrieval and analysis. According to one particularly useful embodiment, the data log (sometimes referred to as a tape map) stores errors, significant events, operating ranges, and performance statistics for the core functional areas of the tape drive for the duration of a cartridge mount. This complex data structure is a component of a microcode dump file which is used for failure analysis by both engineering and general product support. The tape map content varies according to many factors, such as manufacturer, model, product generation, etc., but is basically a representation of a fixed set of metrics applied to the interaction between media, recording head, servo control, dataflow electronics, and microcode for a given cartridge mount.
During the course of product development and problem analysis, it is often the case where more specialized criteria and equipment are used to assess failure modes and development of optimization algorithms to improve overall read/write quality. This process is by nature iterative and experimental, with data under examination being very temporal. No method exists in the current art for porting such analytic data into an existing toolset.